We’ve all read the books that tell you to ‘just believe’ or to complete three simple steps and ‘you’ll get everything you want’. It all sounds so easy, they say- and yet some people are becoming frustrated. The years go on, the books pile up- and what people really want still hasn’t manifested; it’s just a feint promise, and it seems like someone keeps moving the goalposts just out of reach.

“Hold on a minute before you give up,” says Michael James, co-founder of The Law of Attraction Centre, “The Law of Attraction does work, but there are a few things you need to know to make it work for you…”

How to Create your Reality by Michael James

I’ve been there, too. I spent many years trying to ‘figure out how it worked’. Through facilitating over 500 groups and workshops I have done the research about the Law of Attraction and the great news I have to share is yes, the Law of Attraction does work. I’ve seen many people getting real-life results and in this series I will share some of my favourite tips for making the Law of Attraction work for you- not just in theory, but in real-life.

Part 1: The real-life Law of Attraction and the Power of Appreciation

The Law of Attraction explained: Tuning into our Ideal Life

The Law of Attraction brings similar thoughts, feelings and perceptions together- like similar programmes gathered together on radio stations.
As we move through our life, throughout both the good and bad times, we literally create our Ideal Life. Every thought we think is like an automatic prayer for improvements and what we want. It’s like the evolution process; where all experiences including the ‘challenges’ create good experiences. (All parts- both the ‘positive’ and the ‘negative’- are good. And I will explain that shortly).

And so it’s not our job to ‘attract’ things- the Law of Attraction takes care of that. Our job is to tune ourselves- much like the dial on a radio- onto the radio station we want- which is where the experience we want, our ideal life, exists.. As we feel more like ‘us’ again; more in-the-flow; more clear minded and connected- we know we are connected to the life that we want. Our dream life has already been created and ‘attracted’ together and is waiting for us. And so it’s not about creating or attracting, but receiving.
Our job is to relax into the place where the Law of Attraction has arranged all that we want. It’s not really about thinking our way onto this ‘radio station’- but about stopping thinking. This is how we receive our good: By finding a way to relax our way there; to ‘drop in’ to this good-feeling transmission.

This is not always an easy thing to do- and that is why the teachings that say it’s as simple as three quick steps don’t work. Because when you are out of connection, the Law of Attraction brings you many other ‘negative’ thoughts that keep you there. Trying to think our way into ‘being happy’ from this state often backfires.

So the first step is to settle into where you are, to accept where you are- and techniques like meditation- which simply stills the overthinking mind- can help with that.

The benefits of negative thinking

One further thing: Negative thinking is not all bad. We all do it sometimes, it’s part of life, and there’s a benefit to it which I will get to. With practice, we can get a lot more optimistic, but the way to get there is not to try to ‘ban’ negativity. I’ve met many people who have read that they ‘shouldn’t be negative’- and so go to battle with negative thinking, often feeling even worse than before! What we resist, persists. So it makes sense the more we ‘try not to think negative thoughts,’ the more we think negative thoughts.
Obviously it doesn’t feel good to get in a cycle of negative thinking- but there are great benefits: As I mentioned, it’s like the theory of evolution where challenges create benefits. When we feel bad, we ‘ask’ for a better life- and what we want gets created and put on the ‘Ideal Life’ radio station. This ‘ideal life frequency’ feels good when we tune to it; we feel relaxed; we feel in the flow; we feel clear minded.

As we accept where we are- we move into a space of feeling good and therefore a space where we experience the best of life.
Loving the life you already have

Sometimes, when people try to apply the Law of Attraction- they get focused so much on trying to create a better future- that they ignore the good they already have in their life.

You are already enough- you don’t need to ‘add to’ your perfection. The journey to the life you want is about revealing; dropping away the unhelpful beliefs which prevent you from tuning to your Ideal Life- rather than an ‘adding to’ anything.

What you want is already created. Even the word ‘manifestation’ means ‘to reveal’ rather than to cr

eate something. Our job is to relax into that vibe; to get in our flow; in that Ideal Life frequency where life just works for us.

In truth, you don’t attract what you want- you attract what you are. So if you are ‘wanting’ something you haven’t got- you will attract the experience of ‘not having’. That is why making lists of appreciation works so well. As you appreciate, you are a match to what you already are: which in practical terms is more things to appreciate; and all of your dreams.

Where you are is the perfect place to begin

Fairytales often tell of spiritual principles: In Cinderella, the main character’s dreams came true because she found her peace where she already was; she stopped the fighting and complaining about the life she had- even though, by all standards, it was an unpleasant life, and she had every good reason to complain.

Cinderella didn’t need anything else- she worked with what she had. Her pumpkin became a carriage; her rags became the ball dress. Even the mice around her basic living quarters became doormen for her. She didn’t make something appear out of thin air- or trash the life she had- she made the best of what she had; she fell in love with where she was. And this led to transformation.

People often think if they fall in love with the life they have- nothing will change. This comes from a belief that you have to complain or campaign for change- but Life doesn’t work this way. When you fully embrace where you are, you move to where you want to be.

No need to know details

I remember someone who attended my workshops explaining to me how she created extraordinary change in her life. Her ‘secret’ was to fall in love with the life she had.

Dwelling on all the things that were going well in her life left less room for problems in her mind, and good things started to happen- she met her ‘soulmate’, she moved to a country perfect for her, and she discovered her life purpose. The thing is- she didn’t really know about the country or the job until ‘it just happened’.

Some people think they have to be super-specific to make their dreams happen. And yet your dream life is already created and has been built and evolved from all the thoughts, good and bad (remember as I said the ‘bad’ thoughts and experiences are also evolving you to a better life) that you have experienced in this life and possibly previous lives. And so how are we going to know exactly what awaits us? In many of the cases I have seen, people’s ‘dream life’ far exceeds anything their human mind can imagine.

Appreciation reveals the solutions

When you have a problem -finding something to appreciate is your solution. The mind will tell you there’s lots to do and lots to think about- but there’s not. Be still and listen.

Looking for the good in where you are includes looking for the good in any issues that come to mind; including any problems with the world or in your own life. The path to your freedom and the way to ‘let go’ is to love- so stay with the situation and ‘mine it’ for good aspects.

Whatever you did or didn’t do- look for the good in it. Begin with ‘I should have done that- because I did’ and go from here. Wait and feel for what comes.

Appreciate for the feeling; Appreciate because it’s who you are

There is an old saying that says ‘Virtue is its own reward’, which speaks to the idea people have of doing good things to get something. Doing the kindness is the reward- and you get that instantly. It is the same with appreciation - the ‘reward’ is the feeling you get in the writing of the list, and anything else you will get (and you will) is an extra bonus. When you see the techniques that way; when you are loving simply for the feeling of loving; loving because anything less feels bad because its not who you are- that is the ideal. Appreciation is it’s own reward- when you appreciate you ‘have it all’- and the ‘manifestations’ that follow are nothing more than a great by-product.